


killing for a living

by louisnights



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Contract Killer Harry, F/F, Girl Direction, Lawyer Zayn, POV Multiple, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, it's mostly just mentioned and talked about, mentions of murders, niall is her hacker side kick, nothing too graphic, side Ziam, switches between harry's and louis' pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-02-04 08:52:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18601177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisnights/pseuds/louisnights
Summary: Harry is a contract killer hired to kill Louis' abusive stepfather while Louis stands trial for a crime she committed in self defence.featuring Zayn as Louis' lawyer, Niall as Harry's hacker and best friend, and barely featuring Liam as Louis' best friend.





	killing for a living

**Author's Note:**

> this is only edited once, by myself, so un-beta'd. This is just something i wrote when i had nothing better to do. I hope you enjoy it.

Harry closed her eyes, feeling the warm water on her face as she rubbed the shampoo out of her hair. After she finished rinsing it out, she looked down at the pink water. 

She always loved a refreshing shower after a good days work.

She lathered herself in her favorite coconut body wash, enjoying the smell. After rinsing it off, she turned off the shower, stepping out and grabbing a fluffy white towel. She fastened it around her hips after drying her body and hair. 

She walked into her bedroom, getting dressed in her comfiest clothes before she grabbed a bag full of bloodied clothes.

Walking downstairs and out the door, she walked to the end of the block, dumping the clothes into the trash bin. Looking around, nobody was out there at this time of night. She smiled to herself as she walked back towards her house, walking to the back door towards the basement, she entered the security code above the doorknob before opening the door and walking inside.

Niall looked up from where he was perched in front of his computer, not stopping his typing rhythm on the keyboard. “How was it, Styles?”

“Fine,” Harry replied, nonchalantly sitting down on the sofa opposite the desk. “Guy’s dead. I sent the email from the prepaid. You should be able to send it to him for the rest of the payment.”

Niall nodded, composing an a text that would ping through several phone towers as to keep their location secret. 

Their jobs weren’t ideal, but they worked perfectly for them. Most people would disagree with their methods, or just what they did in general, but for them, it was a necessary evil. A feat to make the world a little bit safer.

Plus, the money most definitely helped. Harry thought the money was the best part aside from the thrill a good kill would give her.

Niall finished typing, turning around in his desk chair to face her. “Where’d you hide it this time?”

“Not telling,” Harry smirked, knowing Niall would always try. “You know the protocol. But know that he’s somewhere no one will ever find him.”

“So…” Niall began, biting his lip to keep from smiling. “Dissolved in acid? Dumped in the sea?”

“Ni, you know we don’t dump bodies in the sea, it’s too much of a risk,” Harry rolled her eyes. “We learned from that mistake.”

“Oh, come on,” Niall grumbled. “One time! When will you ever let me live that down?”

Harry dramatically flicked her curly hair over her shoulder. “That you’ll never know.”

Niall chuckled, ever the good natured boy Harry had first met in sixth form. “Ready for your next one?”

Harry’s shoulder slumped. She’d been hoping for at least a week of down time after the last one. “Already?”

Niall nodded, then he said with a mocking tilt to his voice. “Business is booming, baby!”

Harry rolled her eyes as she settled down into the throw pillows that covered the sofa, listening to the details of her next case.

\------

Louis hated courtrooms. Especially this one. With the stuffy uncomfortable benches, the people sitting on them judging her for a crime she didn’t even commit. Although, she wished she had managed to actually killed the dirty old tit.

Her lawyer rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly as he tried to smile encouragingly at her, but the smile came out as more of a grimace.

They were losing this trial so badly. She was going to prison, and then she was going to die in there.

She hoped that she’d be able to get low security, maybe something like in Orange is the New Black, as that would mean she could probably get some action as well. Maybe she’d be Nicky, without the heroin addiction part. She knew thinking that wouldn’t be good considering she might be actually going to prison, but it was the only hopeful thing she could think of at the moment.

Being at the wrong place at the wrong time had led her here, sitting at her trial, miserable and utterly fucked. Not even in a good way.

The judge walked into the room, grumbling to himself before he told them all to ‘sit the fuck down’. Great, she’s got a grumpy judge.

Her lawyer, Zayn, stood up confidently, and Louis wished she could fake her confidence as well as he managed to. The only thing that gave it away was his shaking fingers, as well as his clenched jaw.

Zayn walked up to the judge, whispering quietly. Louis hoped that this strategy of his would work, as they didn’t have a jury for this case, so her life was literally in that grumpy judge’s hands, that was, unless Zayn could convince him to let them go in front of a jury.

She watched as the judge nodded grimly at something her lawyer said before Zayn turned around, walking towards her in quick strides, sitting next to her. “He agreed. You’ll get a jury, but only if our opponent agrees.

Louis just nodded, trying not to get all her hopes up.

\-----

Harry waited patiently as Niall got the folder for her next case. She knew by the look on his face when he came back with it that it would be a satisfying one. Before opening it, she asked “What did this one do?”

Niall’s lips turned down, a scowl appearing. “Look at the folder.” she nodded and opened the folder, her face becoming more and more disgusted by the things she was reading every time she flipped a page. She was surprised however, that nobody related to the victim did the hiring. “Wait, if she didn’t hire us, then who did?”

Niall smirked. “Her lawyer did.”

“Oh,” Harry’s eyebrows furrowed together as she blinked at the pictures in the folder. “Where’s the victims mother?”

“Dead,” Niall replied, his voice turning a hint darker. “She got sick, cancer, and died very soon after. Almost suspiciously so.”

“Wait, wait,” Harry said, her hand flying to point in Niall’s direction. “What do you mean?”

Niall fidgeted, fingers twirling around the strings of his lime green hoodie as he spoke. “I hacked into the stepfather’s sealed criminal records. He’s been arrested twice for aggravated sexual assault while he was still a minor, one of them was dropped, but the other one from when he was seventeen was classified as rape, the girl was fifteen at the time, so he was sent to juvie. He was released at eighteen, his lawyer had the record sealed for some reason. His current lawyer has no idea, neither does his family.”

Harry looked back down at one of the photos. The girl in it was around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, her face alight with happiness, arms squeezing tight around her mother’s shoulders. The picture of the man, her stepfather, made Harry’s lip twitch in disgust. He looked like a perfectly normal guy, and Harry knew how deceiving looks could be.

The stepfather, Bryan Simpson, was an ugly man, about fifty-six years old, with a lightly trimmed beard framing his thin mouth. His pointed nose was covered in white spots, and his eyes were a piercing green. 

How this man could be winning a trial against the stepdaughter he abused for years, she had no idea.

Harry looked up at Niall, her eyes set in determination. “Send those sealed files to her lawyer. This girl is not losing this trial.”

“I already did,” Niall said, a smile forming on his face. “The lawyer will be able to take this to trial, and the jury’s never going to convict her for this, considering her stepfather’s true colours have come to light.”

“Good,” Harry nodded. She really hoped so. “Well, either way, the bastard is dying as soon as that trial is over.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Niall said, kissing two of his fingers and saluting them to the sky, a gesture he did whenever he wanted to show Harry how much he loved his job.

Harry couldn’t agree with him more. Killing bad people like this, and getting paid for it? Best job she’d ever had.

\------

Louis truly wasn’t ready for this. 

It was the third day of her trial. So far, they had managed to get a good strategy going, but that would involve getting her innermost secrets outed for everyone to judge.

But Louis had to do this. For her sister.

Her sister. Lying in a hospital bed, barely alive as it was.

All because of her. 

So she had to do it, if not for herself, for her sister. 

And the twins. They were still in the custody of that fucking monster. She had to win this. For them. To get them the fuck away from him before he ruined them too.

The judge nodded briefly towards Zayn, letting him know he could start. He got up, walked around the table and cleared his throat. “The defence calls Louis Tomlinson, the defendant, to the stand.”

Louis got up, her nerves shot, her hands shaking. She still couldn’t believe she was about to do this. She hadn’t ever told anyone about this, not even her mum. She’d only told her best friend. And now she was about to tell everyone in the courtroom. In front of _him._

She kept her gaze on the ground as she climbed up onto the chair facing the courtroom, beside the judge. She swore on the bible that she would tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help her god, almost rolling her eyes at having to do it. Like she would lie about something like this. She kept her gaze on her hands, fidgeting in her lap, playing with the frayed edges of prisoner’s uniform she was wearing.

“Ms. Tomlinson, please state your name, age and occupation to the court.” Zayn said. 

“Louis Tomlinson, I’m 23 and I’m a preschool teacher.”

Zayn walked up closer to the middle of the small space in front of the lawyer’s tables. “When did your mother and stepfather start dating?”

The other lawyer shot up, “Relevance?”

“It goes to motive, your honour.,” Zayn said, barely refraining from rolling his eyes. 

The judge nodded. “Go ahead, Ms. Tomlinson. Answer the question.”

“They started dating when I was eight.” 

Zayn nodded. “And when did they get married?”

“Just after I turned nine,” Louis said. “The same year my sister was born.”

“Hmm,” Zayn kept nodding his head. “And when did the abuse start?”

The other lawyer shot up again. “Again, Relevance?”

“And again, I say it goes to motive,” Zayn replied confidently, almost impatiently.

The judge looked at her stepfather for a moment before he shrugged. “I’ll allow it.”

“It started the summer after I turned twelve. I’d had my first period shortly before, and my boobs had developed early,” Louis said. “He always said that I looked like a younger, hotter version of my mother and that it turned him on.”

The other lawyer shot up again. “Hearsay!”

The judge nodded. “The jury will disregard that last comment.”

Zayn kept on as if nothing had happened. “And what led to the events of your sister laying in a hospital bed and your stepfather’s scratched face?”

Louis took a deep breath, gathering her courage before she spoke. “It’d been two months since the funeral, and I came home early from work. I walked in on my stepfather touching my sister how he used to touch me.”

“And did that lead you to attack him?”

“No,” Louis shook her head. “I told Lottie to go to my room, and he let her. Then I told him if he ever touched her again, I would make him pay for it.”

“Was it then that you scratched him?”

“No, that was when he touched my waist, dragged me closer. He told me I looked sexy that day. I pushed him away and he grabbed my arm. I told him to back off, and I slapped him, that’s how he got the scratches.”

“And when did the shooting take place?” Zayn asked.

“The night after,” Louis began, he eyes tearing up at the memory. “I just got home from doing the grocery shopping, he was in Lottie’s room with the door locked. I knew what that meant, so I went and got his gun. I climbed through her bedroom window. Luckily things hadn’t gotten far, he was just shirtless. I kicked him in the stomach and aimed my gun in his face.”

Louis bit her lip, knowing what Zayn was going to ask next. “And how did that lead to your sister getting shot?”

A tear fell down Louis’ cheek, her lower lip trembling. “He grabbed me, punched me in the stomach. I accidentally punched the trigger. The bullet hit my sister.”

“Did you mean to shoot that gun?” Zayn asked, then he clarified. “Did you mean to shoot your sister in the stomach?”

“No,” Louis exclaimed, shaking her head frantically. “I only wanted to save her from him.”

“Thank you. Nothing further,” Zayn said. He turned around, nodding to the other lawyer. “Your witness.”

The other lawyer gave Zayn a nod in return as he got up from his seat. He walked up to Louis, standing close. “So, you claim that you were abused by my client?”

“Yes,” Louis says, seriously. “I’m also ‘claiming’ he did those things to my sister. Because he _did_ do those things.”

“Yeah, okay,” The lawyer hums. “And what did he do to you, exactly?”

“I’m not comfortable sharing all the dirty little details,” Louis grits out through her clenched teeth. “But he didn’t just give me uncomfortable hugs and kisses if that’s what you think.”

“Give me an example, Ms. Tomlinson, because I’m simply not getting it.”

Louis looked at Zayn, who gave her a sympathetic smile in response. Her gaze strayed to her stepfather for a second, and she somehow got her strength back. She straightened up in her seat, replying as confidently as he could, albeit with a waver in her voice. “He raped me. More than once.”

The lawyer opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it. He walked back towards his client, whispering back and forth for a few moments before he came back. “Why are you opening up about this now? Why not tell people earlier?”

Louis blinked at the man, a furrow appearing at her brows. “Because I didn’t think anybody would believe me. I was scared of what would happen if I told.”

“Have you ever told anybody this before?” the lawyer asked, a hint of smugness in his tone. Louis didn’t know what kind of point this man thought he was winning by this, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of pointing holes in her story. “I told my best friend, Liam.”

The lawyer sighed. “And why didn’t he help you? Why didn’t he get you out of the environment if it was so bad for you? Why not just move out and leave your so called abuser?”

Louis narrowed her eyes. “For the same reason I’m here in the first place. To protect my sisters.”

The lawyer huffed out a breath, striding back towards his table. “Nothing further.”

\-----

Harry always hated the waiting.

She just wanted to kill the bastard before he had a chance to hurt someone else. Before he’d start abusing his twin daughters. According to the pattern, he probably wouldn’t do it yet, it’d still be a few years down the line, but she wanted him dead way before that could ever happen.

“Remind me again why I can’t just kill him now?”

Niall sighed, frustrated by Harry’s frustration. She’d asked this question about six times already, and it was driving him mad, she knew. “Because Malik said he needed to win the case first, get Louis situated somewhere with a solid alibi and then you get to kill the cunt.”

“But I want to kill him now,” Harry exclaimed melodramatically, a pout on her lips. 

“Okay, how about this,” Niall held up three folders. “Do you want the guy who keeps dumping oil waste into the river, the guy who killed his ex girlfriend’s dog when she refused to get back with him, or do you want the sociopathic teenager who beat up and sexually assaulted two lesbians?”

Harry didn’t hesitate in her choice. “Give me the lesbian killer, that shit’s personal and he’s going to pay. Who hired us?”

Niall smiled, delight lighting his features. “Ironic. His bisexual mother who’s having an affair with her lesbian secretary.”

Harry smirked. “Oh we gotta love karma.”

\------

Louis had spent her entire day inside her cell, pacing and crying into her pillow. Sometimes both at once. 

She knew they had a solid chance at winning the case, since Zayn had gotten an anonymous email with some incriminating sealed records about her stepfather, but it was still a close call. 

Waiting on the jury to decide was excruciating. She hadn’t seen her sister since that night, and she desperately wanted to be able to go see her, since Zayn told her she had woken up yesterday asking for her. 

The jury had been trying to decide a verdict for almost twenty-four hours. How could someone take that long just to decide if she was guilty or not?

She missed her sister so damn much, not only her but the twins as well. God, she hoped the twins were okay.

She knew she had a solid chance to see them again now. Zayn was the best damn lawyer she could’ve ever had, and she had no idea how she got so lucky that Liam somehow knew him. She didn’t know how they knew each other, but god, she was grateful. 

She hastily wiped her tears away when she heard the footsteps approaching her cell. The lock clicked, and the door opened to reveal Zayn, looking visibly nervous since the first time she’d ever known him. He was wearing the same suit as yesterday. A few wrinkles appearing on his normally newly pressed suits. He squeezed her shoulder before gathering her into a hug. “It’s time. They’ve come to a verdict.”

She followed him out the door, hopefully for the last time with handcuffs around her wrists.

\-----

Niall jumped onto the sofa, jostling Harry awake by crawling on top of her and flicking her in the nose. “Why are you on top of me?”

“It’s time for the long awaited kill, mate.”

Harry sat up quickly, effectively shoving Niall off of her, letting him land on the floor with a thud. “I’ve waited eighty-four years for this!” She said, mock crying, her hands swaying in front of her as if she was thinking good. 

“You’re twenty-five, Harry,” Niall said, completely deadpan. “Twenty-five.”

Harry huffed, her jaw clenching as she glared at him. “Never mention a woman’s age, Horan, I will kill you.”

Niall chuckled, his eyes filling with mirth. “You need me to much for that, my dear.”

Harry finally broke her glare, her hands falling back to her sides as she strode up for a tight cuddle. “I know. Wanna go over the plan one more time before I get ready?”

Niall picked his glasses up off the computer desk, sitting down in the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “Let’s talk.”

\------

Louis woke up to Zayn gently shaking her awake. She rubbed her eye with her left fist as she looked at her surroundings. 

_Oh right,_ she thought, _I’m at the hospital_

She looked down at the sleeping form of her sister in the hospital bed, kissing her forehead before she got up to follow Zayn out of the room and into the hallway. “I thought this whole thing was over. What’s up?”

“I have good news,” Zayn said, a genuine smile gracing his features. “Your stepfather’s dead.”

Louis blinked, a moment passing as she comprehended the information. “Dead? How?”

“Got drunk at a pub and chose to drive home,” Zayn said. He was clearly pleased with this turn of events and Louis couldn’t disagree with that feeling. “He lost control of the car and drove into a tree. I think you’ll be pleased to know that he suffered for an hour before he finally died.”

Louis stared at Zayn for a minute, letting the information sink in. She blinked before she promptly burst into tears.

Zayn immediately gathered her into a tight embrace, his hands rubbing soothingly up and down her back. Her hands clung tightly to his dress shirt as she sobbed into his chest. 

She didn’t know how long she cried for, but she felt relieved to have gotten all her tears out. She felt like a heavy weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. She was finally free. 

She’d have to deal with the scars of this for the rest of her life, of course, and so would her sister. But she knew that with some help, and by sticking together, they’d heal. They’d be okay.

“Thank you so much, Zayn,” Louis said as she took a step out of the embrace. She wiped away the wetness from her cheeks. “Thank you so much for your help, I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“No need to thank me, love,” Zayn replied. “You should thank Liam for telling me about your case. He was right stubborn to let me help at first, thought it would be a conflict of interest.”

Louis sniffed, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Conflict of interest?”

“Yeah,” Zayn shrugged as if it was obvious. “Because we’re sleeping together?”

“You and Liam?”

Zayn grimaced. “You didn’t know?”

“No,” Louis shook her head. “But it’s okay. I’m just glad Liam has found someone.”

Zayn smiled widely, crinkles appearing by his eyes and nose. “Thanks. You know, I love him a lot.” His eyes widened as he brought his hand up to his mouth. “ Don’t tell him I said that, I haven’t told him yet.”

“Don’t worry,” Louis said through a slightly wet giggle. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

\-----

**A year later**

Harry walked into the pub, glad to finally have some time off work for a little while. The pub was filled with people. The atmosphere warm and lively, the people mingling amongst themselves as they nursed their drinks. 

Harry hurried to catch the seat at the far end of the bar, since it was the only seat left unoccupied. She waved at the bartender and ordered herself a strawberry vodka soda. 

She looked around at the people, her eye getting drawn to the group in the corner. They were chatting happily, lively. There was a woman there, so beautiful, with a beer in her hand. She was short, wearing some jorts and a band tee, tasteful sideboob peeking out. She was talking to two men, who looked to be quite the happy couple by the way they were cozied up. The tanned man leaned in to kiss his partner on the forehead, his partner burrowing closer into his arms with a smile, making him resemble a puppy. 

Harry watched as the woman cackled loudly at whatever the tanned man said, beer almost squirting out of her nose, amd she was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.

She was startled out of her staring when she felt arms come around her middle and squeeze her. “What’s up, bitch.”

She rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. “Hi, Niall.”

He was already well on his way to tipsy, clearly having been here a while, she gave him a long cuddle with a smile. “How are you?”

He stole a sip of her drink before he answered, wincing at the taste. “Gosh I hate that shit, dunno why you drink when there’s perfectly good beer available here. I’m good, just mingling around.”

“Who were you mingling with?”

Niall shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. They’re all strangers. Hey! Isn’t that the lawyer who hired us to kill that stepfather bastard for that chick over there about a year ago?”

Harry looked in the direction that Niall was pointing and blinked. That girl was Louis Tomlinson. That lawyer was Zayn Malik. Who had hired them. Wow. 

“Should we say hi?”

Niall raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his beer. “You think that’s a good idea, mate?”

Harry pouted, tongue then pointing out of her mouth to take a sip through the straw in her drink. “Louis’ so pretty, wanna ask her out.”

“You mean you want her to sit on your face,” Niall laughed. “We can talk to them, sure.”

“Must you be so fucking crude, Horan,” Harry asked, already halfway across the bar on her way to talk to the pretty girl in her sights. “Awkward act or smouldering act?”

Niall stopped, considering it for a second. “Awkward act. Let me take the piss so she’ll feel bad and give you some good pity sex.”

“I don’t want a pity fuck, I want a ‘let’s get married and have multiple babies together’ fuck.”

Niall shook his head and pushed her the last few steps, which resulted in her falling face first right into Louis. Her face smushed into Louis’ boobs. Harry could die there, happily.

She scrambled back, righting herself. She was truly mortified. “Oh my god. I am so sorry!”

Louis laughed and took hold of her arm, her touch soft and gentle. “Are you okay, love?”

 _Oh my god,_ Harry thought to herself, _she called me love._

“Yes, I’m okay, just a little embarrassed by the accidental motorboating there.”

Niall sidled up to her side. “Harry here just gets flustered whenever she sees pretty girls. I’m sure she was just distracted by your pretty eyelashes.”

Louis raised an eyebrow at Harry. “You said my eyelashes are pretty?”

Harry elbowed Niall in the stomach. “No, I said you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. I’m Harry.”

“I’m Louis,” she said, licking her lips. “And you are the hottest woman I’ve ever seen, so I guess we’re even.”

Harry flushed a bright red as warmth spread from the tips of her toes up to the blush on her dimpled cheeks. 

She decided then and there that she was going to marry this girl one day.


End file.
